Mateship, hard work and snags make a true blue Aussie

THE key to being a ''true blue Aussie'' is helping out your mates, according to a new national survey.

But Australians with a less altruistic nature need not worry.

The second most popular selection in qualifying as a ''true blue'' is to enjoy a beer and barbecue, the Westpac Australia Day report reveals.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, male respondents considered beers and snags more important (36 per cent) than women (29 per cent).

The significance of this culinary tradition varied between the age groups, with 42 per cent of Australians aged 39 and under identifying it as important, compared to only 25 per cent of those aged over 60.

And of course, eating Vegemite was part of the criteria, with nearly one in four people (24 per cent) choosing it as a qualifier, and women preferring it more often than men (28 per cent to 19 per cent).

When respondents were asked what defined an Australian, the top characteristics included mateship (16 per cent), friendliness (15 per cent), being laidback (14 per cent), hard-working (13 per cent) and tolerant, accepting (8 per cent) and unpretentious (8 per cent).

The findings were the result of 1000 interviews conducted by research company CoreData between December 12 and December 19.